Synergistically enhancing and realizing the value of grassland ecosystem services (ES) for economic activity is an important but challenging task for achieving sustainability in the karst desertification control (KDC). However, how to use grassland ES value characteristics in the KDC to make decisions on ES improvement, human well-being enhancement, and sustainable development remains unclear. In this paper, we took the contiguous region of karst desertification in Yunnan-Guangxi-Guizhou, China, a global hotspot, as the study area. Based on the valuation of the gross ecosystem product (GEP) and county economic intensity, we analyzed the structural and spatial characteristics of grassland GEP in the KDC using spatial analysis methods. We found that: (1) the grassland GEP in the KDC is mainly distributed in counties with low economic intensity (86.05% of the total number of counties) and vulnerable to losses caused by the livelihood of farmers; (2) the grassland GEP in the KDC is spatially small and scattered (the geographic concentration lies between 0.015 and 0.237), which makes it difficult to form industrial scale advantages; (3) the public product index (66.22–96.77%) and industry scale concentration (97.87–99.86%) of grassland GEP in the KDC are high, and most of the GEP is difficult to transform on the private market. Based on our findings, we proposed three corresponding recommendations for economic decision-making. The results of this study can provide a reference for economic decision-making regarding the management of grassland ES in karst areas with similar conditions and beyond.

With their unique karst geomorphology and rich biodiversity, forest ecosystems present huge ecological potential, and their ecological products promise great economic value. In this context, an important way to realize the sustainable development of karst areas is the transformation of such ecological potential into economic advantages. In this paper, Guizhou Province, China, one of the most representative regions with karst geomorphology, is examined in a case study. Using the equivalent factor method, the values of forest ecological products in various states of Guizhou Province were calculated for the years 2010, 2015, and 2020. Furthermore, a two-way fixed-effects model was employed to examine the influence of green finance on the realization of these values in the karst region. The findings of this paper are as follows: (1) The value of forest ecological products presented an increasing trend from 2010 to 2020, and green finance significantly promoted the value realization of forest ecological products. Robust estimates could still be obtained after endogeneity control. (2) The results of heterogeneity testing indicated that in karst regions with slower economic development and poor ecological environment, green finance promoted the value realization of forest ecological products more significantly. (3) The mechanism test showed that by providing financial support for rocky desertification control and forest restoration projects, green finance promoted ecological restoration, governance, and vegetation restoration while mitigating rocky desertification; in this way, green finance drove the development of ecological forestry and industrial upgrading to accelerate the value realization of ecological products, thereby strongly supporting the sustainable development of karst areas.

Karst ecosystems have become complex social–ecological systems (SESs) as a result of the interventions of large-scale ecological restoration programs, and the ecosystem services (ESs) that provide regional well-being can, to some extent, be described as social–ecological system services (S–ESs). Understanding the relationships among multiple S–ESs and exploring their drivers are essential for effective ecological management in karst areas, especially in regions differently affected by ecological engineering programs. Taking South China Karst (SCK) as a study area, we first identified two regions as comparative boundaries, namely significant engineering impact regions (SEERs) and non-significant ecological engineering impact regions (NEERs). Then we used ES assessment models, Spearman correlation, and optimal parameter geographic detector to identify the supply capacity, trade-offs/synergies, and their drivers of six types of S–ESs in SEERs and NEERs. The findings included: (1) SEERs were predominantly concentrated in the central and southern SCK regions, accounting for 33.98% of the total SCK area, with the most concentrated distribution observed in Guizhou and Guangxi. (2) Within the entire SCK, six S–ESs maintained a relatively stable spatial distribution pattern over time, with the most pronounced increase in soil conservation and a slight decrease in water retention, and the S–ES hotspots were more concentrated within the SEERs. (3) Most S–ES pairs within SEERs were optimized synergistically, with lower trade-off intensity and higher synergy intensity compared to NEERs. (4) S–ES pairs were affected by the interactions between the natural and socio-economic factors, with land use changes playing a crucial role, and natural factors were difficult to predict but cannot be ignored. Based on the results, we propose different SES sustainable development suggestions, with a view to providing theoretical support for the optimization of SES functions and the consolidating of integrated ecological construction.

It is crucial to clarify the relationship between ecological industry development and ecological civilization construction, as well as their driving forces, to promote high-quality local development. The ecological environment of the karst region is fragile, and it faces a contradiction between ecological preservation and economic advancement. Coordinating the relationship between economic development and ecological protection is crucial for achieving sustainable development in rural karst regions. This study identified karst characteristics in Guizhou province, China, by constructing an index system for ecological industry development and civilization construction. It employed the entropy weight method to calculate a comprehensive score and utilized a coupling coordination model to analyze interactions and symbiotic coordination. Finally, a linear regression analysis model was employed to analyze the impact of ecological industrial development on the construction of ecological civilization. The results indicate the following: (1) The ecological industry and ecological civilization construction levels exhibited a relatively stable growth trajectory across three research areas from 2011 to 2021, with the ecological civilization construction index outperforming the ecological industry development index. (2) The correlation analysis indicated a relationship between the two indices in the research areas, and the divergence trend among the three research areas rose in a uniform direction, indicating a strong positive correlation between the two indices. From the perspective of the coupling degree (C), the degree of coupling between ecological industry and ecological civilization construction in the three research areas exceeded 0.9, indicating a high level of coordination. This suggests that ecological civilization construction and ecological industry in these research areas are effectively coordinated and exist in a state of harmonious co-promotion. There were differences from the coupling coordination degree (D) perspective, but they increased in the three research areas. (3) The regression analysis results indicate that the per capita agricultural output value, per capita forestry output value, per capita forage industry output value, industrial solid waste utilization rate, energy consumption per unit of GDP, tourism income, rocky desertification level, and proportion of the labor force population with a high school education or higher significantly contribute to the development of ecological civilization. The per capita forestry output value greatly advances ecological civilization, significantly enhancing ecological culture and security. The coefficients are 0.0354 and 0.0393, respectively, indicating that a 1% rise in the per capita forestry output value results in increases of 0.0354% and 0.0393% in the ecological culture and security indices.

Under-forest wild-simulated cultivation of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow (Wu Tianma, WTM) offers a viable pathway for reconciling ecological conservation with economic and health benefits, yet optimal seed tuber regimes remain understudied. We established nine planting regimes varying in single-tuber weight and per-hole dosage in a karst plateau area, monitored tuber yield and bioactive components (gastrodin, p-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and parishin), and evaluated performance via one-way ANOVA and a comprehensive index. At equal per-hole dosage, individual tubers of 10–15 g achieved the highest comprehensive index (57.13%), whereas those <5 g performed poorly (28.66%). With respect to seeding rate, the maximum yield (5.27 kg/m²) was achieved at 250 g per hole, while the highest combined content of gastrodin and p-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol (0.29%) and the peak parishin content were observed at 350 g and 150 g per hole, respectively. While tuber weight and seeding rate significantly affected yield, they had minor impacts on bioactive composition, suggesting that medium-sized seed tubers with moderately increased dosage can synergistically improve yield and quality. Our findings provide empirical benchmarks for germplasm selection and agronomic optimization in WTM cultivation, and call for multi-scale studies integrating soil microbiota and microclimate to unravel cascading mechanisms for sustainable quality enhancement.